Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Friday I held a prostate cancer information morning at the Windale Gateshead Bowling Club. I would like to thank the Windale Gateshead Bowling Club for providing the facilities at their club free of charge and helping with the organisation of the day. I would like to thank also Professor Jim Denham, a senior staff specialist in radiation oncology in the Hunter. The morning was an outstanding success. It was an information session that brought together local health professionals and survivors to talk about the disease of prostate cancer, how it can affect men and their families, and what can be done about it. Prostate cancer impacts not only on men but also on their partners and families, and we encouraged men to bring along their partners with them to this session.

Prostate cancer is a potentially fatal disease that affects one in nine men. It is the most common cancer in Australian men and is the second most common cause of cancer death in men. Every year close to 3,300 Australian men die of the disease. Prostate cancer can be treatable with early detection. We had an enormous response to this information morning. We had outstanding speakers—as I said, we had Professor Jim Denham, who spoke at length and gave a very factual and detailed presentation on prostate cancer. Then we had Geoff Fry, who donated $1 million to establish a prostate cancer centre at Waratah in Newcastle. He spoke about his experiences with prostate cancer and how the knowledge he has received has helped him. He is now providing that information to other people. We had a counsellor, Aaron, who also spoke. It was such an outstanding success. It was the third one of these that I have done.

On 13 November, I will be holding a breast cancer awareness morning tea. Talking at the morning tea will be Professor John Forbes, who is an absolutely outstanding and world-renowned breast cancer specialist. We will be holding it at the Belmont 16ft Sailing Club and I thank the club for providing that venue. I will report back to the House on the success of the morning tea at the next session. I thought it was appropriate to announce it this week, Breast Cancer Awareness Week.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! In accordance with standing order 193 the time for constituency statements has concluded.